Dean shrugged, becoming preoccupied with a smear of chocolate icing on the corner of her mouth. “Is that a problem?” As dumb as it would be for him to get involved with Gracie’s sister, Dean was starting to realize he might not have a choice in the matter. She was a temptation, one he wasn’t sure he wanted to resist.
Catherine swallowed several times before replying, “No, it’s not a problem at all. I just didn’t figure you for the nightclub type.” She paused for a few seconds, then a frown replaced her confusion. “Or is this just another way for you to keep an eye on me because you don’t trust me around your brother and Gracie?”
The reminder that he didn’t trust her made the idea of getting involved the dumbest one he’d come up with in a long time. Still, she intrigued him, and it’d been a damn long time since a woman had managed that feat.
Not willing to delve into his reasons, Dean answered, “If I come tonight it’ll be because I want to be there.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You like to play your cards close to the chest, don’t you?”
Dean took hold of her arms and pulled her close, close enough to smell her pretty, floral scent, but not so close he lost all control. “You have a little chocolate on you,” Dean murmured as he tipped her chin up and kissed her. Catherine went rigid. He angled his head and let his tongue dart out to touch one corner of her mouth. When she relaxed against him, her arms moving to wrap around his neck, chocolate was all but forgotten. And so was his control. All Dean wanted to do was devour her. Inch by inch.
His tongue touched the side of her mouth and licked slowly back and forth. He tasted the chocolate, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted a deeper taste. He wanted the flavor of Catherine in his mouth. Something to tide him over until he could see her again. He tugged until their bodies were aligned. Her soft curves fit him perfectly, and Dean took a moment to relish the fact. Naked, they should definitely be naked. He ached to feel her silken skin against him.
When he slid his tongue over her bottom lip and gently nipped, Catherine gasped. Dean took the advantage and delved inside the dark recesses of her mouth. She moaned and dug her fingers into his hair. Her tongue shyly explored his, teasing him with the possibility of more. When his hands cupped and squeezed her buttocks, she pressed her lower body into his. Dean knew she’d feel the heavy weight of his cock. He felt the instant Catherine came back to reality. Her body stiffened and she dropped her hands away. Dean pulled back and looked down at her. Her eyes were wide open and staring at him as if he’d sprouted horns.
“It’s gone,” he said by way of explanation, as his gaze went to her swollen lips.
“Huh?” she asked, her voice unsteady.
He smiled. “The chocolate.”
“Uh, right.” She licked her lips, then added, “A napkin would’ve worked too.”
He tsked. “You’d want me to waste perfectly good chocolate?”
She shook her head. “You’re determined to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?”
Instead of answering, Dean pointed to the stove. “Are you going to be late?”
Catherine’s gaze shot to the green readout. “Crap.” She sprinted out of the room and grabbed her purse. As she took hold of the doorknob, she stopped and looked back at him. “Thanks for . . . lunch.”
He grinned and leaned against the wall. “It was my pleasure, believe me.”
The last thing Dean saw before she rushed out the door was the alluring shade of pink in her cheeks. “That woman is going to be bad for my health,” he muttered.
7
“H
e kissed you?” Gracie asked as she skimmed a rack of dresses.
The store Gracie had taken her to was small but had a large variety of party dresses and eveningwear. Catherine stared at a display of skirts, but all she saw was Dean. The heat in his gaze as he stared down at her after the kiss. Her body temperature spiked all over again. “I don’t get it,” she admitted. “One minute he’s telling me he doesn’t trust me, like I have some diabolical plan in mind for you, then he’s kissing me. The man is beyond annoying.”
Gracie stopped and frowned over at her. “But he really kissed you?”
“See?” Catherine threw her hands in the air. “You’re as baffled as I am.”
She shook her head. “Well, I suppose the trip was a success to some degree, then. I mean, clearly he must not hate you the way you suspected or he never would’ve kissed you.”
“No, he doesn’t hate me.” She snorted. “He just doesn’t trust me.”
Gracie pushed her purse higher on her shoulder. “But if that’s true, then why’d he kiss you?”
“Because I had chocolate on my mouth, he said.” Catherine’s gaze caught a dress on the rack Gracie was picking through. She picked it up and looked at the tag. “Damn, wrong size.”
“Uh-huh. And he’s coming to the club tonight.”
“He said he
might
come. I doubt that he’ll show up though. Kiss or no kiss, he doesn’t want me around, Gracie.” She slumped. “He’d love it if I took the first flight back to Atlanta.”
She cocked her head. “That might have been what he wanted in the beginning, but now I wonder if that’s changed.”
“A kiss didn’t fix the problem. No more than the conversation with him did.” Catherine bit her lower lip. God, she swore she could still taste him there. Strong and masculine, but tender too. “He still doesn’t trust me.”
Gracie shrugged. “If you’re so sure, then you probably aren’t interested in what Wade said about Dean’s bizarre attitude toward you, huh?”
Oh, now that got her attention. “Spill it, sister.”
“Sister.” Gracie grinned. “I’ll never get used to hearing that.”
Distracted from the topic of Dean and the kiss for a moment, Catherine smiled. “Me either. It feels so natural too. Like I’ve known you my entire life.”
Gracie reached out and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I know what you mean.”
A few seconds went by, the two of them simply soaking in the moment. When a woman wanted to get through the aisle they were standing in, Gracie released her hand and together they moved to a different aisle. It wasn’t until they reached a rack of assorted items that Gracie said, “Wade thinks that Dean is fighting an attraction to you.”
Catherine instantly recalled the rigid length of Dean’s erection when he’d pressed against her in the kitchen. The feel of him had gone straight to her head. Like tequila. Dangerous stuff. “I admit he seemed to enjoy the kiss, but I don’t think an instant out of time explains all the attitude I’ve been getting from Dean.” She stopped, then added, “I mean, he’s been this way since before I met him yesterday.”
“True,” Gracie conceded as she picked up a black skirt. “What about you? Are you attracted to him?”
“I don’t know,” she said. Immediately she knew that was a lie and opted to tell the truth instead. “Yes. But he makes me crazy with his accusations and distrust. And he reminded me that you and I were half sisters, which I know we are, but it doesn’t feel that way to me.”
“It doesn’t feel that way to me either.” Gracie picked up a pretty black dress with dark green accents around the bodice and held it out toward her. “So, since he’s making you so crazy, maybe tonight you should return the favor.”
Catherine took the dress from Gracie and read the tag. Right size, and the price wasn’t even too bad. “How could I possibly make that man crazy? He’s so in control of himself. I get the feeling he never lets down his guard.”
Gracie wagged her eyebrows and pointed to the dress. “By looking extra hot tonight. At the very least you’ll have him squirming a little, which he deserves for giving you such a hard time.”
Catherine laughed. “I don’t know if I can pull that off, but I like the way your mind works all the same.”
“We’re going to drive those Harrison men insane. Just wait and see.” She nodded toward the dress and said, “Try it on.”
Catherine held it against her body. It was shorter than her normal style. She’d be showing a lot of leg. “What can it hurt?”
“That’s the way I see it. He shows up, you get to make him drool. If he doesn’t, then there will be plenty of other men at the club to choose from. Either way a win-win.” Gracie picked another dress out and checked the tag. “Ouch. Too much.”
Catherine leaned over and checked the price. “I’ll buy it for you. It’s what sisters do for each other, right?”
Gracie hesitated a moment before replying. “Only if I get to buy you some pretty shoes to go with that dress.”
Catherine laughed. “Deal.”
The wild beat of the music wasn’t the only thing that had Catherine’s heart pounding. As Dean pulled out a high stool for her, so like the perfect gentleman, and held it while she sat, Catherine wondered what he was up to. He moved the stool nearest to hers a little closer, then sat. Unfortunately that put them within touching distance. Every so often their legs brushed against each other, sending electric sparks shooting up Catherine’s entire body. The man was lethal. It wasn’t until Gracie had asked the men to go get them drinks that Catherine felt like she could begin to breathe normally again.
Now, as she watched Wade and Dean walk toward them, carrying a bottle of beer for her and club soda for Gracie, Catherine thought maybe she’d gotten in over her head. They were both gorgeous men, but it was Dean who held all her attention. He wore a pair of black trousers and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. His silky dark hair had even been combed into submission. The hot looks he kept giving her were driving Catherine’s libido into a frenzy.
“Are you glad he decided to come with us?” Gracie asked, leaning close to be heard over the din of the music.
“I’m not sure,” Catherine admitted. “Dean’s been fairly hostile toward me from the start, but tonight he seems different. He seems . . .” She broke off, unable to put her thoughts into words.
“Predatory?” Gracie helpfully supplied.
“Yes, that’s it. Predatory.” She looked at her sister and asked, “What do I do with predatory?”
Gracie chuckled. “You dance.” She stepped off the stool and held out a hand. “Come on, let’s put these new heels to the test.”
Catherine stood just as the guys came back to the table. Wade placed Gracie’s club soda in front of her, but Dean didn’t seem so inclined to hand over her beer. She pointed at it and asked, “Are you keeping my beer hostage?”
He placed it on the table and slid it toward her. Catherine became spellbound by the way his fingers wrapped around the longneck bottle. When she moved to take it from him, their fingers touched. It was brief, but enough to leave her breathless.
“Where are you two going?” Dean asked, his gaze holding hers captive.
Gracie leaned up and kissed Wade on the cheek, then whispered something in his ear. Wade looked over at Catherine and winked. “We’ll watch your purses.”
“Thanks,” Catherine shouted back. Dean asked again, but before she had a chance to answer, Gracie was tugging her onto the dance floor.
Glancing to her right, she saw a high platform where women danced. Was she just old fashioned or were women dressing decidedly skimpily these days? One woman in particular caught her eye. Her bra was totally exposed through a lavender-colored mesh shirt. The skirt she wore rode her buttocks, and if she moved just the wrong way, she’d be baring her entire backside. Judging by the happy glow on her face, she didn’t seem too worried. The woman danced right along with everyone else, bumping and pushing into others as they bumped and pushed against her.
When had dancing turned into a contact sport?
With her eyes trained on the women on the platform, she started to feel a little overdressed. There was a lot more skin exposed than there was covered in this room. Catherine looked down at her own dress. The black lightweight fabric teased her thighs each time she took a step and the heels were tall, but not so much that she risked breaking her neck. She’d spent a great amount of time taming her hair into a sleek, straight mane down her back. But she couldn’t tell if Dean had noticed her efforts or not. Now that she looked at the other women, Catherine thought he’d have to be blind not to notice
them
. Were his eyes on the other women even now? Was he watching the woman in the mesh shirt as she swayed and moved to the beat?
Catherine ruthlessly pushed the little green monster out of her mind. She had absolutely zero reason to be jealous because she had no feelings for Dean. None. Zip. He was attractive and he was Gracie’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. Nothing more. So what if he’d kissed her and she’d responded with her own small bit of passion. Could she really help it? There wasn’t a female on the planet who wouldn’t respond to Dean’s luscious mouth and his stroking tongue.
And if any of the women here wanted to taste him for themselves, they’d have to go through her first.
With that firmly in her mind, Catherine moved a little to the beat. It wasn’t long before she was forgetting big brooding men with chips on their shoulders and succumbing to the rhythm of the song.
8
A
s the song ended and another one started, Catherine started to feel someone watching her. She turned in time to catch a man at the far end of the dance floor, staring. When their gaze connected he quickly looked away. Catherine danced closer to Gracie and, speaking into her ear, she said, “There’s a guy on the other side of the room watching me.”
Gracie chuckled and kept dancing. “A lot of guys are watching you.”
Catherine shook her head. “Maybe, but this one is creeping me out.”
Gracie stopped dancing and asked, “Which one?”
“Short blond hair and long-sleeve blue shirt.” Catherine looked again, and sure enough his gaze was trained on her. “It’s the way he’s staring.”
Not even bothering to appear nonchalant, Gracie turned her head to see who she meant. When her gaze came back to hers, she said, “Ew, you’re right. He is creepy.”
Catherine shifted, putting her back to him. Gracie obviously sensed her unease and sidled up next to her. She strained to be heard over the loud beat. “If he bothers us, Wade and Dean will take care of it.”
Catherine didn’t know if she liked the idea of Dean “taking care of it.” “Dean and I came here together, but we aren’t together together. He’s not required to fend off unwanted men on my behalf.”
Gracie said something, but it got lost as the song picked up tempo. Catherine looked again, hoping the stranger was gone. Of course that would’ve been too easy. He watched her as if she were a midnight snack. It made her skin crawl. He must have moved closer, she realized, because now he was no longer on the other side of the dance floor. In her distraction he’d moved around until he was barely twenty feet away. A cold feeling moved through her veins at the intense look in his eyes.
He wasn’t a bad-looking man. Catherine supposed women would find him handsome, with his curly blond hair and scruffy facial hair. He wore a pair of low-riding blue jeans and worn, black work boots. Several gyrating bodies were all that stood between them, but Catherine was glad for at least that much of a barrier.
Gracie leaned close. “Just forget about him. We’re here to have fun.”
Catherine knew that Gracie was right. She didn’t want anything to damper her first night out with her sister, but the heebie-jeebies weren’t letting up. “I’m trying, but it feels as if he’s touching me. I don’t know what it is about him.” A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she didn’t feel the same ick vibe when Dean looked at her. His gaze sent her heart fluttering and her nerves dancing. This stranger made her want to take a shower. There was no crime in looking at a woman, Catherine reminded herself. He hadn’t made any advances.
“Would you rather head back to the table?”
“No,” she said, firming up her resolve to have a good time, despite the creep. “We’re here to have fun. Screw him.”
Gracie smiled and went back to dancing. When another upbeat song started up, Catherine forgot her worries. The light-haired stranger no longer mattered. Dean’s distrust toward her even took a backseat. Everything faded as the music surrounded her and carried her away.
Catherine heard Gracie yell something about the tune being one of her favorites. She smiled and realized the romantic tune was one she loved as well. One more thing they had in common. The song was soft, with a woman’s lilting voice that made Catherine picture herself in the arms of a lover. She closed her eyes and imagined Dean. It startled her. Thinking of him that way made her remember the delicious kiss from earlier in the day. The music, the soft lights, all of it coaxed out her uninhibited side. She let herself float along with it as the rhythm took hold. In her mind, Catherine saw the planes and angles of Dean’s stern face, his soft, talented lips and the intense brown eyes that seemed ever trained on her. God, how she wanted his lips pressed to hers in that moment. If she were honest with herself, Catherine would admit that she wanted his entire body pressed to her. Since she couldn’t have that, then at least the music would help her fantasize a little. Her imagination would simply have to be enough for tonight.
As she swayed and moved, her eyes drifted closed. Catherine wondered how good his hands would feel, and soon her own hands were traveling down her body, barely grazing but enough to spark off an erotic thought or two. She touched her own neck, imagining his lips caressing her there. She wondered if he would take his time, kissing and nibbling on her before moving farther south.
Catherine’s fingers hooked beneath the hem of her skirt and lifted slightly, unaware that she was giving a tantalizing glimpse of her upper thigh. She felt the satin of her own skin beneath her fingertips. She quivered. Would his hands be calloused? A working man’s hands? As the song began to wind down, she wondered if she’d ever find out what Dean’s touch was like.
Dean didn’t need this right now. On top of her looking good enough to eat, Catherine danced like a goddess. Damn, he should’ve known the minute he’d kissed her that he’d have a hard time keeping his distance. He nearly salivated at the loving way her short black dress cupped her ass cheeks. Dean had to clench his fists in front of him on the table to keep from leaping out onto the dance floor and taking her into his arms. As he glanced around the room he noticed several other men watching her with lust in their eyes, and that alone had him wanting to drag her off. He’d take her somewhere private, somewhere he could get more than just his hands on her soft curves.
Wade nudged him, and Dean forced his gaze off Catherine long enough to see what he wanted. “Yeah?”
“So what’s this about Catherine coming to your place?”
Dean frowned, knowing an interrogation was coming. “It was no big deal.”
Wade quirked a brow and gave him one of those big brother “I can see right through you” looks.
“She wanted to clear the air,” Dean said, keeping it simple. The kiss they’d shared was no one’s damn business. “To see if she and I could form a truce or something.”
“And did you?”
He thought of how good she’d tasted and had to bite back a curse. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Oh, you’re here.” Wade sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “But I’m still trying to figure out if it’s because you came for the terrific company or simply to keep tabs on Catherine. Judging by the way you’ve been watching her dance, I’d say it’s somewhere in between. Am I right?”
“Look, you all want me to like her, to accept her as a part of this family, I get that. You’ve made your position very clear, Wade. But—”
“She
is
a part of this family,” Wade said, his voice rising over the blast of the bass and the roar of the crowd. “She’s Gracie’s sister and that makes her a really big part.”
Dean shoved a hand through his hair and leaned closer. “She’s still a virtual stranger. You and I both know that exchanging a few phone calls and e-mails doesn’t mean you know a person inside and out.”
“Yes, I’m aware, and that’s what this visit is for. So they can get to know each other.”
Dean was tired of banging his head against that particular wall. When he turned and looked at Catherine, his anger dissipated. She looked like a wood nymph. Her long red hair flowed down her back as she danced around the floor, completely oblivious to the riot of emotion inside him. Dean took another swig of his beer and placed it on the table, then sat back and watched the show. She swayed to the beat of the music, as if completely lost in it. She moved with passion. He wondered what was going through her mind. Was she imagining a lover’s touch? When her hands went on a journey over her body, Dean’s dick thickened beneath his trousers.
A movement to her right caught his attention, and he saw a man striding across the dance floor. He was headed right for Catherine. That quickly, his conversation with Wade was forgotten. All Dean could think about was keeping the other man from touching her. He heard someone call his name, but he ignored it. As he crossed the room, maneuvering his way through the gyrating bodies, Dean came up directly behind her and placed his hands on her hips. She went rigid.
He leaned close. “Come home with me.”
Catherine tipped her head back to look at him. “That’s it? You think I’ll simply surrender and fall into your arms?”
Dean barely noticed when the song ended and another, slower tune started up. All his concentration was on the softness of the woman beneath his hands. He wanted to feel the satin of her skin. He wanted the dress gone. “It’d be nice if you would, yeah.”
She shook her head and turned in his arms. “That isn’t a good idea.”
When she wrapped her arms around his neck, Dean wanted to shout in triumph. She wasn’t melting against him, but it was still a damn sight better than a knee to the crotch. “Not even if it’s what we both need? What we both want?”
She looked over his shoulder, and several seconds passed before she said, “You don’t understand.”
He took hold of her chin and urged her gaze back to his. “Then help me understand.”
“Dean, I’m not the type to give in to my wishes and wants,” she explained. “Flights of fancy aren’t me.”
He nudged her legs apart so he could wedge one of his between them. When he felt her shudder, he grinned. “Don’t you ever allow desire to rule the show every once in a while, sweetheart?”
She shrugged. “Not when those desires stand in the way of what is most important.”
Dean smoothed a palm down her hair, enjoying the silky texture. “And going home with me, letting me make you feel good, that stands in the way, huh?”
“Yes,” she muttered, “because you don’t trust me, and I can’t go to bed with someone who doesn’t trust me. Besides the fact you’re going to be Gracie’s brother-in-law soon.”
“You’re Little Miss Practical, I get it. Hell, I admire a quality like that in a woman.” His hand moved down her back until he was barely grazing her ass. “And you’re listing all the right reasons why we shouldn’t get involved. But none of it matters, not right now. Only you and I matter.” He coasted his hand lower until he felt one rounded buttock beneath his palm. “Can you honestly tell me that you don’t want me? That you don’t feel the chemistry between us?”
“Yes, I feel it,” she ground out. “But it scares me. You scare me.”
He hadn’t expected such a strong response, and he certainly didn’t want her afraid of him. “Why? I thought we already established that I’d never hurt you?”
“Actually I believe you said that if I hurt your family you’d do far worse.” He started to speak, but she held up a hand, halting him. “That’s not the point though. I’m leaving in a week, Dean. Getting involved now would be insane.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, then whispered, “So, take what you can get of me. Get your fill, sweetheart. Before it’s too late.”
The song ended then, and Dean watched her take a deep breath before looking up at him. She seemed to be studying him, and it made Dean uncomfortable. Her silent intensity washed over him. Catherine’s green eyes held so many secrets, and Dean wasn’t sure if he’d ever learn them all. The only thing he knew for certain was that she did things to him. Things no other woman had been able to do in a long time.
Dean dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers briefly, then murmured, “I want you in my bed. I want so many damn things, Catherine, but if it really isn’t what you want, then tell me and I’ll leave you alone. You have my word.”
Catherine dropped her head to his chest and muttered something against his shirt. He wrapped his hands around her upper arms and pulled her off him. “What did you say?”
“I said, I do want you.”
It dawned on Dean that the music had changed, the tempo was faster, the romantic tune was gone, but the mood was still there. He was still as edgy, still as ready, and Catherine was still standing in front of him, staring at him as if she wasn’t sure whether to run in fear or surrender to the passion arcing between them. And Dean wasn’t about to leave it to chance.
He took her face in his palms and touched his mouth to her soft lips. She moaned, and the sound went straight to his cock. The people surrounding them dancing to the music were forgotten. Her taste was like honey, and he wanted it. Craved it. Nothing was going to stand in his way of getting a great big helping of it either.